Wallpaper display device



y 5 N. F. HADLEY 2,884,715

WALLPAPER DISPLAY DEVICE I Filed Jan. 25, 1956 s Sheets-Sheet 1 PUSH HERE tTOLOOKATBOOK W K5 WALLPAPERS INVENTOR. MRMAN F1504: fiADl-IY y 1959 v N. F. HADLEY 2,884,715

WALLPAPER DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. Nan/WW Flu-14w M40457 A T roams vs May 5, 1959 N. F. HADLEY WALLPAPER DISPLAY DEVICE Filed Jan. 25, 1956 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 IN VEN TOR. A/omumv F/sflflr l/APLEY HTTOANE Y5 United States Patent 2,884,715 WALLPAPER DISPLAY DEVICE Norman Fisher Hadley, Buffalo, N.Y., assignor to The Birge Company, Inc., Butfalo, NY.

' Application January 23, 1956, Serial No. 560,639

3 Claims. (Cl. 35-49) ible into horizontal table form whereupon the wallpaper sample book may be opened for individual inspection of the book leaves by a sales prospect.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved display device as aforesaid which normally functions as a substantially vertical display device occupying minimum floor space, yet which is readily convertible to and from horizontal table form to facilitate detail examination of the leaves of the wallpaper sample book.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device as aforesaid'which is of rugged and simplified construction, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture and maintain.

' Another object of the invention is to provide a device as aforesaid which is readily foldable into compact flat form for convenience in transport, storage, or the like.

-0tlier objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a device of the invention in upright display attitude;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof;

1 Fig. 3'is a view corresponding to Fig- 2, but showing the display device converted into horizontal table form for Wallpaper sample inspection purposes;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of the device when converted as shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elevational view, on enlarged scale, of a detail of the construction of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional and side elevational view of a detail of the construction, taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the structural detail shown in Fig. 5.

As illustrated in the drawing, the device of the invention comprises essentially a flat backboard 10 such as may conveniently be fabricated of plywood, wood conversion sheeting, sheet metal or the like, to the rear surface of which are mounted a pair of side rails 12-12 and top and bottom rails 14-16, respectively. Thus, the backboard 10 is stifiened in all directions while the front surface thereof is uninterrupted for purposes to be explained hereinafter. The board 10 is arranged to be supported alternately in substantially vertical and horizontal extending attitudes by means of a leg structure comprising a generally U-shaped front leg member 20 and a generally U-shaped rear leg member 22; the leg members including transverse bottom portions bent up- "ice wardly at their centers as indicated at 24 (Figs. land 4) to give the display stand maximum stability when standing upon a normal floor surface or the like. A spacer bar 26 is hingedly connected as indicated at 27-28 to the centrally raised portions of the front and rear leg members 20, 22, respectively, so as to thereby longitudinally space the leg devices apart adjacent their lower ends, at such prescribed distance as to provide for the display'device a stable base support.

As shown in better detail in Fig. 4, the upper ends of the leg members 20, 22 are bent inwardly and slipfitted into corresponding apertures as indicated at 30, 32 in the side rails 12-12; the apertures 30, 32 being longitudinally spaced apart so as to thereby contribute to stabilization of the back-board 10 upon the legs when in either upright or horizontal attitudes as shown in Figs. 2, 3, respectively. A brace arm 34 is hingedly connected at its upper and lower ends as indicated at 36--37 to the cross bar 16 and to the spacer bar 26, respectively; an elbow hinge joint mechanism as indicated at 40 being provided in the brace arm 34 intermediately of its ends. The hinge device 40 is arranged to fold in only one direction as shown in Fig. 2 so as to permit the backboand 10 to tilt toward a generally upright position as illustrated in that figure of the drawing.

Hence, the device is readily pivotable in clockwise direction as viewed in Figs. 23 into the position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the backboard 10 is disposed substantially horizontaL'whereupon the brace arm 34 straightens up to the attitude shown in Fig. 3. The arm 34 thereupon functions to brace the backboard 10 in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 3; a toggle spring device as indicated at 42 being arranged in offset relation to the hinge pintle of the device 40 so as to tend to maintain the brace arm 34 in its straight arm position as shown in Fig. 3. However, the hinge 40 may be readily folded by manual pressure thereagainst so as to shorten the effective length of the arm 34, whereupon the backboard 10 will be caused to pivot in counterclockwise direction back again toward the generally upright position thereof as" shown in Fig. 2.

A wallpaper sample book as illustrated at 50 is bolted or otherwise suitably firmly affixed to the lower half portion of the backboard 10, as shown in Figs. 1 and. 2, whereby it will be appreciated that when the display device is adjusted to the position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the front cover of the sample book will be thereby eifectively displayed to passersby. Thus, attractive advertising media and instructions or the like as indicated at 54, printed or otherwise affixed to the open top portion of the backboard 10, are readily viewable to the trade when the display device is in generally upright position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The display device of the invention has as a particular feature theerof the facility to be readily converted into a sample study table, by simply pivoting the backboard 10 into the horizontal attitude thereof shown in Figs. 3-4. Thereupon the pages of the sample book may be swung over successively onto the normally open portion of the backboard 10, so that the leaves of the sample book may be individually studied by a sales prospect with utmost facility. Then, upon completion of examination of the sample book, the display device is readily tiltable in reverse direction by release of the toggle hinge mechanism 40 so as to cause the display device to swing back into the upright display position thereof illustrated in Figs. l-2. It is another particular feature of the arrangement of the invention that the rear legs 22--22 will overlie the front legs 2020 at their regions of intersection, as indicated at 56 (Figs. 2, 3) whereby when the device is in the generally upright display position thereof as shown in Fig. 2, the legs 20-20 press laterally toward the left as viewed in Fig. 2 against I the inturned pivot end portions of the legs 22-22 adjacent their entry in the apertures 30--30 of the side boards 12-12. This action further stabilizes the board in its generally upright position as shown in Fig. 2.

It will be appreciated that when the device is in upright attitude and being employed primarily as a display attraction it occupies a minimum of floor space; and yet when a prospect becomes interested to examine the contents of the sample book it is readily convertible to horizontal table form so that the prospect may with maximum convenience selectively study the various pages of the book. Furthermore, by simply springing the upper ends of the legs 20, 22 out of the apertures 30, 32, the entire device is rendered collapsible into flat compactly nested form for packaging or storage purposes.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wallpaper sample book display device compris- 1 ing an elongated back-board adapted to have a wallpaper sample book fastened to the top surface of the backboard near one end thereof, said backboard having a length dimension substantially twice that of the height of the sample book, a supporting leg structure comprising front and rear leg members pivotally interconnected intermediate their ends and pivotally connected adjacent one end to said backboard intermediate the opposite ends thereof for supporting the latter vertically from a floor surface or the like whereby said backboard is swingable on said leg structure alternatively between vertical and horizontal attitudes, brace means pivotally connected to and extending between said leg structure at a point adjacent the lower end thereof and one end of said backboard, said brace means being foldable so as to accommodate swinging movements of said backboard upon said leg structure between substantially vertical and horizontal attitudes thereon while being operable to stabilize said backboard in either said adjusted positions.

2. A wallpaper sample book display device comprising a backboard adapted to have a Wallpaper sample book fastened to the top surface of the backboard, a supporting leg structure comprising front and rear leg members pivotally interconnected between their ends and pivotally connected adjacent one end to said back- 5 board at longitudinally spaced positions thereon between the opposite ends thereof for supporting the latter from a floor surface or the like, whereby said backboard is swingable on said leg structure alternatively between vertical and horizontal attitudes, control brace means pivotally connected to and extending between said leg structure and one end of said backboard, said brace means comprising hinged parts foldable so as to accommodate swinging movements of said backboard upon said leg structure between substantially vertical and horizontal attitudes thereon and spring means extending between said parts in off-center relation to the hinge axis when said backboard is in either of said attitudes to comprise a toggle hinge mechanism operable to stabilize said backboard in either adjusted positions.

3. A wallpaper sample book display device comprising an elongated backboard adapted to have a wallpaper sample book fastened to the top surface of the backboard near one end thereof, said backboard having a length dimension substantially twice that of the height of a sample book, a supporting leg structure comprising front and rear leg members pivotally interconnected between their ends andpivotally connected adjacent one endv to said backboard between its ends for supporting I the latter vertically from a floor surface or the like,

whereby said backboard is swingable on said leg structure alternatively between vertical and horizontal attitudes, control brace means pivotally connected to and extending between said leg structure and one end of said backboard, said brace means comprising hinged parts foldable so as to accommodate swinging movements of said backboard upon said leg structure between substantially vertical and horizontal attitudes 'thereonand spring means extending between said parts in oif center relation to the hinge axis when said backboard is in either of said attitudes to comprise a toggle hinge mech anism operable to stabilize said backboard in either ads justed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

